[Campylobacter pylori's sensitivity to the bactericidal action of human serum]

The sensitivity to the bactericidal power of the human serum was evaluated on 8 strains of C. pylori, 8 strains of C. jejuni, 2 strains of C. coli and 2 strains of C. fetus. Each of them was incubated at 37 degrees C in the presence of a complete pool of human sera, the same pool after inactivation of the complement, and trypticase soy broth (control). After 0, 15, 30 and 60 minutes the capacity to grow in blood agar plates (count of colonies) incubated in microaerophillic conditions for 3 days was evaluated. In this experimental study it was shown that C. pylori has a rapid and complete sensitivity to the human serum and, particularly, to the complement; this could be one of the factors that determine its lack of invasive capacity.